Nightmares
by ElspethQ
Summary: Five months ago Broadsky killed Vincent Nigel-Murray and Brennan and Booth have shared one glorious night together before beginning to tread new waters in their budding relationship when Brennan goes missing. Booth is falling apart as his nightmares keep coming back to haunt him in the waking world. First Bones fanfic. Read and review.
1. Chapter 1

_Booth ran down the ally, his hand unfastening his gun from his holster as he went. Raising his gun and flipping the safety off, he stopped as the little street went left or right. He listened for the footfalls of the perp he was chasing to see which way to turn. When he heard Brennan scream his name his heart leapt into his throat. Without a second thought he ran in the direction of his partner's cries. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him until his chest burned with exertion and his heart threatened to break free of his chest. It had gotten dark and his foot slid in the mud. Mud, wait a minute, when did. . .? Seeley thought to himself as he became dizzy._

" _Where did she go?" He muttered as he stopped and listened to the night._

" _Booth! Help!" Brennan cried out from somewhere in the night in front of him._

 _Booth pushed past the dizziness and realized he was standing on the bank of a river. He slid in the mud and made his way down to the rushing water. When he reached the edge his feet refused to move as his eyes beheld the sight of Brennan's car sinking in the water, the roof barely visible._

 _The rhythm of his heart threatened to suffocate him as he waded into the water. "Bones!" He called out as he reached the car. He clawed at the handle of the door to open it but it would not budge. He dove down into the water and the cabin of the car was earily lit by the lights in the dash. In the driver's seat, belted in, was Temperence Brennan hunched over the steering wheel. Booth banged on the window but she didn't respond. Using his gun he bust out the window and opened the car door, pulling Brennan free. He swam for the surface and pulled his partner to the muddy embankment._

" _Bones! Wake up! Open your eyes!" He pleaded. He began CPR, counting aloud as he went, "One, two, three. . ." He dared not stop when he felt a hand on his shoulder._

" _She's gone, Seeley." He heard Cam say._

" _No! Eleven, twelve, thirteen. . .Call an ambulance Cam, don't just stand there!" He barked._

" _She's dead Seeley. Let her go. She's gone." Cam said solemnly._

" _No. No. No. Booth cried as he cradled his partner's limp body to his chest. No, she can't be, Cam." Booth cried as he ignored his phone ringing._

Booth woke up confused to the sound of his cell phone ringing next him. He looked at the clock next to him. 2:00 am it read. He flipped it open.

"Hello?" He groggily said into the phone.

". . ." No response only the faint sound of breathing.

"I can hear you. Who is this?" He questioned his phantom caller, his agitation evident. Again there was no response. A few seconds later the call disconnected. Booth closed his phone and restrained himself from throwing the damn thing across the room.

He ran his hand over his face in an attempt to rid the nightmare from his memory. He laid back down but was unable to go back to sleep, nor was he sure he wanted to. His nightmares had become horrible. He had tried to do as Sweets suggested and try to direct his dreams, but to no avail. It was almost lucky that the 2 am prank calls were interrupting them before they got as bad as they usually do.

Accepting that he was not going to be able to go back to sleep he walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. Moving the bottles of beer aside he grabbed the orange juice and poured himself a glass which he only half drank hunched over the counter. Moving into the living room he picked up his weights and began his workout.

By eight o'clock a clean shaven Seeley Booth was seated outside Sweets' office.

"Booth, come in, have a seat." Sweets called from the doorway, his secretary not due in for another hour. That was their arrangement. Once a week Booth met with Sweets before the Hoover Building and the FBI officially started their business day. This way Booth was in and out before prying eyes could scrutinize him.

Sweets eyed the agent before him as he walked slowly into the room and sat in his usual seat, his shoulders slumped and his empty holster still at his side. Lance couldn't help but notice the absence of Booth's trademark "cocky" belt and brightly colored socks. Sweets closed the door and crossed the room picking up a blank notepad and setting it on the table between them.

"You've lost some weight, Seeley." Lance said as he sat down across from Booth. Booth nodded his head in agreement; he knew he was in rough shape.

"And the nightmares?" Lance asked, spreading his hands in an inviting motion.

"Not as bad." Booth lied.

"But still nightly?" Sweets pushed, noting the circles under Booth's eyes.

"Yeah" was the only response Booth gave, avoiding eye contact.

"And you still allow them to affect you that much?" Lance pushed further knowing it would have an explosive reaction, but Seeley Booth was not want to talk about his feelings, especially since the suspension.

"Allow them!" Booth huffed in indignation as he stood and began pacing the room. "I could still feel her cold dead body in my hands! I can still smell the seawater on her skin, in her hair. Allow them!" He spat as he ran his hands through his hair.

Sweets remained calm and let Booth vent for a minute before pushing forward. "Have you given any thought to my suggestion from our last session?" He inquired.

Booth turned and looked at the younger man. "I don't know how" he said, deflated.

"If you want these nightmares to stop you have to let go of your guilt." Sweets explained.

"But it is my fault!" Booth shouted.

"It's been nearly five months since your partner went missing." Lance coaxed without using her name.

Seeley held his head in his hands and nodded.

"When is it time to let it go?" He asked him.

"When I have her back home where she belongs!" Booth spat as he stood up and headed towards the door.

"Sooner or later you may have to come to terms with the fact that your partner is dead and we may never find her body." Sweets said quietly as Booth stormed out of his office. Sweets shook his head and scribbled some notes in the file in front of him.

Booth stormed down to his SUV. He knew Sweets was trying to help him but he refused to give up looking for Brennan as everyone else around here seemed to be. This was why he was suspended, unable to rationalize and focus. "Damn them!" He cursed as he slammed his door shut.

He pulled out of his spot and headed to the Jeffersonian. He had an idea and he was hoping Angela would be able to help. Fifteen minutes later he pulled into the employee only section for the parking garage at the Jeffersonian and waiting for Angela to arrive. Thirty minutes later he saw Angela pull in with Michael Vincent in the back seat.

"Hey Booth, what brings you here?" Angela said as she embraced her friend before turning to get her son out of the back seat.

"I came to see you, actually. I am hoping you can help me with something." Booth replied.

"Oh, okay. Well, while you're here you can help me carry this to the daycare center." She said, handing him a diaper bag as she wheeled her son in his stroller.

"Where's Hodges?" Booth inquired, realizing that this looked like a two man job carrying all of this stuff.

"Oh, he's out at a site with Cam." She replied, silently praying that Booth would not push the issue.

After Michael Vincent was set up at Daycare, Booth and Angela went to Angela's office. "So what can I do for you, Booth?" Angela asked sitting down on the sofa in her office.

Booth reached for his phone and handed it to Angela as he sat down next to her. "I've been getting these prank calls in the middle of the night but the number is always blocked. I was hoping you could work some magic with your computers and find out who is harassing me." He explained.

Angela took his phone and plugged it into the computer. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That's a lot of blocked phone calls at two in the morning." She said with a smile. "What do they say?" She asked.

"They never speak. But I can hear the person on the other end of the phone breathing." He explained. "It's driving me nuts." He conceded.

"Well, right now all I can tell you is that it is a blocked cell number, a burner phone perhaps." She said. "You should try recording them. Maybe I can pick up something in the background with the computer filters. But I'll keep trying." He nodded his head. "Here, I programmed it to automatically record any calls that come in as a blocked or unknown number." She offered while handing him back his phone.

"You know, Ange, I may be suspended from work for being unstable, but I can still read most people like an open book. You're hiding something." Booth said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Huh?" Angela chuckled nervously.

"Where exactly is Hodges?" Booth asked.

"I'm not allowed to say." Angela said quickly.

Booth stood up and crossed the room to her, a tear slipping down his cheek. "Please Angela, if this has to do with Bones I have to know." He begged.

Angela's guilt could take no more. She had seen Booth slowly fall apart. This was killing him. "They may have found Brennan's car." She said quietly with her head down.

"What!? Why didn't anyone call me?" He demanded.

"Because you're off the case." She replied sheepishly.

"The Hell I am. Where are they?" He demanded as he paced the room like a caged animal.

Just then a text came through on her phone. She flipped it open and read the message. Her hand flew over her mouth as she dropped the phone like it was on fire. Booth stared at her for a moment as she struggled to breathe before bending down and reading the message.

"Positive ID on Brennan's car. On our way home."

Booth could only pace back and forth while he waited for Cam and Hodges to return. He refused to go into Brennan's office which remained locked up in her absence. Nearly two hours later his heart sank into his shoes as a wrecker brought in a car covered with a tarp.

Hodges and Cam walked in and spotted Booth pacing and looked at each other warily. Booth looked at them for a second before he ran up to snatch to covering off, ignoring their calls for him to wait. As the tarp fell to the ground, Booth's breath hitched in his throat. There was no mistaking Brennan's very expensive car sitting on the platform in front of him. Jasper the Pig still dangled from the rearview mirror. There was mud and rust everywhere, the paint was eaten away, and mud and weeds were everywhere.

"Where did you find it?" He asked; his voice shaky.

Cam stepped forward. "A fishing boat found it in Virginia." She explained. "It was completely submerged."

She placed her hand on his shoulder, "I had to be sure before I called you." She tried to explain but he shook off her hand as if it had burned him.

"Was there a body?" He asked, his back to her.

It was Hodges turn to speak up. "No. Her purse and phone were in the car but there is no evidence of a body. Looks like he just dumped the car there."

Booth looked over his shoulder at them and nodded his head, not trusting his voice, and left.

Booth drove around to try and clear his head before hitting the liquor store and heading home. As he stepped into his apartment he found a large envelope had been shoved under his door and immediately recognized Cam's handwriting. He grabbed a glass, poured out some whiskey, and sat on the couch. He took a sip to steel his nerves as he opened the folder. In it were photos of the car when they recovered it as well as several shots of the interior. It was like someone took his nightmare and plucked Brennan's car from it and laid it in front of him.

He was startled awake by the sound of his phone ringing. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about but he had been chasing something. He reached and grabbed his phone.

"Why do you keep calling me?" He asked. He thought he heard something before the line went dead.


	2. Chapter 2

Previously on Bones:

 _He was startled awake by the sound of his phone ringing. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about but he had been chasing something. He reached and grabbed his phone._

" _Why do you keep calling me?" He asked. He thought he heard something before the line went dead._

Booth closed his phone and tossed it on the coffee table bringing his attention back to the photos in front of him. He ran his hands over his face, willing himself to concentrate.

"What am I missing?" He asked aloud.

This was not Broadsky's MO Booth thought as he picked up a picture to examine in better. Broadsky was a sniper it didn't make sense for him to get personal with a victim. Plus, Broadsky left his victims in the open to be found. He went as far as to leave proof behind that he was the killer. He was proud of his work, fixing the perceived wrongs of greedy politicians. Broadsky had threatened 'collateral damage' in an attempt to get Booth to leave him be, but if he had targeted Brennan he would have made sure Booth found her in order to send a message. None of the evidence was adding up.

He stood and started pacing his apartment, not sure if he was glad Cam shared the crime scene photos with him or not. He ran his hands through his hair and his eyes fell on the closet door. He quickly walked over to it and opened it up. He pulled out his gun locker and entered the combination. Once open, he slid his hand gently over his sniper rifle before settling on the scope and retrieving it.

Returning to the photos he snatched them up and went into the kitchen and laid them out on the table. He turned the over head light on and began to re-examine the photos through the sniper lens. Forty-five minutes later his eyes found nothing that he could track back to Broadsky.

Booth felt more frustrated than when he had begun. He leaned forward on the table for a moment before checking his watch. Too late to go back to sleep and too early to head to the Jeffersonian, Booth decided for a shower. A few minutes later he stood in the shower and tilted his head back until it rested on the cold tile.

"Bones, where are you?" He muttered between clenched teeth. Nearly five months had passed and he was no closer to finding her today then he was the day he came home and discovered she was gone.

oOo

Not knowing who else to turn to, Seeley drove to the Jeffersonian and was waiting as Cam pulled up. Cam had talked him through the last five months and he just needed someone to bounce ideas off of. Whenever he used to work a case he would bounce ideas off Bones and she would rationalize and direct him, but in her absence he figured Cam would do. Their past history also gave her an inside edge on how best to deal with him and keep him grounded.

She smiled thinly at him, her fatigue evident, "Seeley?" She questioned without stopping as she made her way to the employee entrance, her eyes barely glancing in his direction.

"Morning Cam." He replied as he stepped in line with her pace.

"Seeley, you have to make this quick. Hacker and Cullen are due to come down and go over our findings this morning. If they find out we shared any information with you . . ." Cam warned as she quickened her pace.

"That's not why I am here." He replied softly. "I want to see the evidence through my eyes, not what the squints found. I think we have been looking at this completely the wrong way from the beginning."

Dr. Saroyan stopped and looked at him. He was in need of a shave, had dark circles under his eyes, and appeared too thin. His eyes looked at her in a silent plea. "I'm sorry, Booth. What can I do?" She asked.

"Just talk with me while I look at the car. You don't need to tell me what the squints found. Just talk me through it." He said, doing his best to flash her a smile.

"Okay, let me put my things down and start a pot of coffee. Hacker is not due until after nine so we have some time." Cam responded with a weak smile.

Booth nodded his head and walked towards the platform that his partner and lover's car stood crippled by the elements. He walked around it, circling, noting the slightest dent to the torn leather interior and wondered if the squints could determine which was caused by being submerged and which were prior to. Booth already knew that the possibility of any organic material still being present in the car depended on how long it was submerged and how long prior to submersion the material transferred to the vehicle. He was pulled from his thoughts by the familiar gait of Cam's heels clicking on the tiled floor.

"Nothing has been removed yet, only inventoried." She spoke up, her hands neatly pressed in front of her.

"No broken glass on the inside. Was there debris in the water? Booth asked.

"Hodgins is going out there today to check, but possible the current carried it away." She replied.

"The dents in the trunk look like someone tried to kick their way out." He pointed out and Cam could only conclude the same. "But it wasn't Bones. One of the features we installed on this car was the emergency release button on the inside, here." He said pointing to the yellow button on the interior of the trunk. "She wouldn't have tried to kick the door loose." He explained as he continued to circle the car. "Where was her pocket book found?" He asked.

"In the spare tire." She replied, wondering where was he going with this. "Her phone, ID, credit cards, it's all there Booth." She added.

"Whoever snatched the car obviously didn't realize it was there. But why would she have stashed it there, unless she was in a particularly bad neighborhood. I think your squints are going to find the car has been in the water less time than Bones has been missing." He explained.

"Meaning what, exactly Seeley?" cam asked.

"That although we have retrieved her car it has no evidence to relate to her disappearance." He responded. "The only thing it can do it help us create a time line as to when it when in the water and hopefully provide some trace particles as to where it has been." He blurted out, excitedly.

"So when you say 'whoever' does that mean we are no longer suspecting Broadsky?" She asked.

"No, this is not his style, too personal. This has none of his earmarks. I really believe when he died it was not with Bone's murder on his conscious." Booth said quickly.

Cam took a deep breath and released it slowly. Looking up she saw Angela and Hodgins enter through the side door with the Michael Vincent in the stroller. Booth followed her eyes and half smiled when he saw Angela. Cam took the opportunity to go poor a cup of coffee just knowing it was going to be a long day.

Booth held out his phone as he walked towards Angela.

"Hey Booth." She called as he walked up to her.

"Look, man. I'm so sorry." Hodgins said. "I really thought she had just gone AWOL again, that is, until her car showed up." He added. "Maybe that's why we can't find any evidence. No one was truly looking for her. Everyone just assumed she was AWOL, everyone, except you that is."

"She's my best friend, sweetie. I was hoping that was true too, but now. . . I just don't know what to think." Angela said as she pat Jack on the arm.

"I appreciate that Jack, I do. Right now I want you to focus on determining how long that car has been under water and see if you can trace where it has been. Maybe, Angela, you can bring the onboard navigational system up?" Booth asked hopefully.

"I can try. It depends on the amount of corrosion on the motherboard." Angela explained.

"Good. Good." Booth said quietly clasping his hands together as he followed Angela into her office.

Angela turned to her computer as started entering search parameters into the 'Angeltron'. She stopped and put the control pad down feeling Booth's heavy presence in the room. She turned to see him handing her his phone.

"There was another call last night." He said as she plugged it in and down loaded the file.

"I will run it through some filters and see if I can find anything. I will call you." She said with a faint smile as she handed him back his phone.

As Booth turned to leave, Angela called out to him, "Booth."

He turned around and saw the guilt in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't think anyone was taking this seriously. I thought she just went off again. She does that, you know, when things get to be too much." Angela explained, hoping he would forgive her.

Booth nodded, not trusting his temper. She was supposed to be Bone's best friend and didn't think her disappearing for months was cause for concern?

"Maybe you can get the home office to unseal her records and assets so I can search them and see if something pops up?" She asked.

"Yeah" He replied dryly. Had no one seriously looked through her finances to see if she was out spending money in Thailand or some other remote place? Could she really just be avoiding him this whole time? He shook his head and headed to Brennan's apartment to water her plants.

oOo

"Miss Booth!" Father Reynolds called out to the woman tending the gardens in the courtyard, but she did not seem to hear him. "Joy!" He called louder and rewarded with a smile as the woman stood up. He waved at her to come over.

"You really should be taking it a little more easy in your condition." He chided with a smile. Joy was an athletic woman. He feared he would have to tie her down in order to get her to sit still.

Joy frowned. "They're calling for heavy rains by the end of the week with flooding. I am trying to save as many of the plants as I can." She explained as she her hand absentmindedly massaged her swollen belly.

"Let the gardeners worry about that. Detective Shelby is here to see you. Wash up and meet us in the parlor." Father Reynolds urged as he began leading Joy back into the Rectory.

"Oh." She said quietly, following the priest.

Several minutes later Joy entered the parlor and Detective Shelby stood. Out of habit he offered his hand to the shy woman but as her eyes stared at the offense he quickly withdrew recalling that Joy Booth did not like to be touched. Waiting for her to sit he sat down and cleared his throat.

"I called the state boys down in Charleston, last week, to see if their search turned up anything. They didn't even have our request on record." He began as he watched her nod her head. "This morning I received a call from state boys that they found the paperwork from the accident that we filed and were ashamed to say that the fingerprints and picture were somehow water damaged. They're ganna' send over a man next week with an electronic fingerprint machine and we will resubmit the paperwork." He explained.

She nodded her head, her eyes downcast to the floor and occasionally glanced at him. She stood suddenly and spoke quietly. "If that is all, Detective?"

Detective Shelby looked at the shy woman. She was scared, he knew it. "The missing persons search came up negative." He blurted out as she darted from the room and up the stairs. Turning to Father Reynolds he asked, "Still scared of her own shadow, Father?"

Father Reynolds turned his palms up on his knees. "The nightmares haunt her, even during the day."

"Poor Rabbit." The detective replied shaking his head.

"She hates that nickname, Shelby." Father Reynolds warned as he walked the detective to the door. After a brief pause for consideration he added, "I caught her sleep walking again, this time on the phone. It was the weirdest thing but last night she walked to the phone, picked it up and dialed a number. After a moment of it ringing I heard somebody yell on the other end, I called to her but she hung it up. Then she returned to her room and climbed back in bed." The priest explained.

"Maybe I can search your phone records and see who she is calling." Detective Shelby offered.

"Don't bother." The priest said with a smile. "I pulled the phone bill and it seems it has been a nightly occurrence for some time. The number comes up as restricted."

"I could order a phone tap, see if we can capture the number as she dials it." He offered.

"If you think it will help, do what you must." The priest agreed.

"I just hope trying to dig up Joy's past isn't digging her a grave." Shelby admitted.

"I have a feeling someone out there is looking for her." The Father Reynolds said as he shook the detective's hand.

"If you had seen her when they found her out there at Cooper's Landing, you may wonder if it is best she stay here indefinitely. Somebody messed her up bad Jon, real bad. She's lucky to be alive." Detective Shelby replied with a frown.

oOo

Booth finished at the gym and headed home. Punching the bag and lifting some iron always brought some level of stress relief, even if it only served to tire him out and let him sleep a couple of solid hours. He pulled into his parking space outside of his apartment when his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID his pulse sped up a little as he answered the phone.

"Tell me some good news." Booth answered.

"I was able to recover a voice from the recording. . ." Angela said.

"But. . ." Booth pressed.

"There's more. Can you come in?" She asked.

"Be there in ten." Booth replied as he hung up. With the first glimmer of hope in months he flipped on the sirens and pressed down on the gas.

As Booth entered the Jeffersonian he dashed to Angela's office. He froze when he saw Sweets standing there and his eyes narrowed, daring the man to offer bad news. Angela stepped forward and smiled.

"So the call you got last week, someone was talking in the background. Here, listen." She said as she pressed the button on the pad in front of her. Booth strained his ears but could only hear mumbles. He shook his head as he looked at Angela. "Let me enhance it more and turn it up. She offered.

"Joy, who are you calling?" Said the voice of a soft spoken older man.

Angela beamed. "Whoever is trying to contact you we think can't talk because someone else is there. That's why the calls are always silent. We have to tap your phone to trace the call." She said.

"Okay, but there have been no calls for several days." Booth said as he handed her his phone. "Why is he here?" He asked thumbing back at Sweets.

"Consider me here for emotional support. That and you missed our last session." Sweets said with a smile.

"I was sleeping." Booth lied.

"Hodgins was able to recover a bumper sticker from the bumper of Brennan's car." Angela spoke up as Jack entered the room.

"Better yet, Angela was able to recreate it." Jack said, putting his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Which is really good considered the only particulate I could find in the car was cocaine residue. When heated the vapors are sticky and . . ." Hodgins was cut off.

"Anyway, the bumper sticker is a forged parking permit for Port Charlotte, South Carolina." Angela spoke proudly as she pulled up the image on the screen. Brennan's car was found here in the Cooper River." Angela moved the map to show a red dot. "The Cooper River feeds down into the port."

"I think a road trip is due, don't you, Agent Booth?" Sweets said with a smile as he handed a new phone, gun, and badge to Booth.

"What's the catch?" Booth asked, eyeing the psychologist.

"You have to take me with you." Lance said with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

Previously on Bones . . .

"Better yet, Angela was able to recreate it." Jack said, putting his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Which is really good considered the only particulate I could find in the car was cocaine residue. When heated the vapors are sticky and . . ." Hodgins was cut off.

"Anyway, sweetie, the bumper sticker is a forged parking permit for Port Charlotte, South Carolina." Angela spoke proudly as she pulled up the image on the screen. Brennan's car was found here in the Cooper River." Angela moved the map to show a red dot. "The Cooper River feeds down into the port."

"I think a road trip is due, don't you, Agent Booth?" Sweets said with a smile as he handed a new phone, gun, and badge to Booth.

"What's the catch?" Booth asked, eyeing the psychologist.

"You have to take me with you." Lance said with a grin.

**** FLASHBACK *****

Earlier this morning.

Lance sat at his desk frowning. Booth had missed his appointment. He picked up the phone and called him. It went to voicemail. He left the usual pleasantries before hanging up and calling Assistant Director Andrew Hacker. He answered on the third ring.

"Hacker." His voice came over the line.

"Morning sir, this is Lance Sweets." The doctor began nervously.

"I have caller ID, Lance, I know who it is and what day it is. What's wrong?" Hacker asked.

"What makes you think something is wrong, sir?" Lance replied.

"You are calling me at 8:15 in the morning while I am sitting in traffic." Hacker replied, his agitation rising.

Lance chuckled. "Booth was a no show" he spoke quickly into the phone. When there was no response he continued. "I think taking him out of the field may be a mistake. I think he needs a focus." There, he had finally said it. Booth was a man driven by action, sitting around was killing him slowly.

"Is that your professional opinion or your guilt talking, doctor?" Hacker asked with a tinge of amusement. He had been waiting for this phone call and was surprised it had taken the young doctor so long to speak up.

"Possibly a little of both, sir." Dr. Sweets admitted.

"You know he will not be able to focus on anything except for finding his AWOL partner." Hacker conceded into the phone.

"Sir, they found her car last week. It no longer appears that Dr. Brennan went anywhere of her own accord. The fact that no one has treated this as a true missing persons case in over five months is completely horrid and may have resulted in a loss of evidence. I did report that she seemed mentally distraught in recent weeks heading towards her disappearance but that I sincerely doubted she would just run off." Sweets was talking fast.

"Okay, relax there. I will be in my office in about twenty minutes. Dr. Saroyan called with an update and I have the perfect assignment for you two." Hacker said with a nervous smile.

"Two?" Lance said apprehensively.

"Oh yes, two. You think he should be back to active duty then you will supervise him on this." Hacker said as the traffic began to move. "I will give you details when I arrive." Hacker said quickly as he disconnected the phone.

Lance stared at the phone and swallowed hard before hanging up the receiver. He replayed the conversation in his mind and couldn't help but notice the guilt in Andrew's voice. Andrew himself thought that Dr. Brennan had simply run off shortly after her intern was killed, or rather hoped she had.

When it came out that she and Booth had begun a romantic relationship in the month prior to her disappearance Andrew became jealous. It was obvious he still held a flame for Brennan. He kept Booth busy and hopefully away from Brennan. When she turned up missing Andrew assumed she went off to be on her own after a falling out with Booth. She was a 'cold fish' as he put it. Even though Lance agreed that Dr. Brennan had a difficult time facing emotionally charged situations, Lance was doubtful this was true. Andrew told Booth to leave her alone and give her time, she'll show up. He had the feds seal her records and freeze her accounts, effectively blocking a proper search. Andrew went as far as to block Seeley's missing person file stating that they were jumping to conclusions.

Booth tried to focus on work and give her time. But as the days and weeks went by he became unable to focus on anything else. He had admitted that they had a whirlwind romance but there had been to precipitating argument prior to her leaving. Booth said things were good and they were both happy. Six weeks into Brennan's disappearance Booth discovered that Hacker had blocked any formal investigation, even to the point of not filing a missing persons report. Booth lost it. In the end Hacker got a black eye and Booth was suspended.

****** END FLASHBACK ********

Lance looked briefly at Booth as he drive the black SUV down the interstate. They had crossed the South Carolina line several hours ago and it wouldn't be long until they were in Port Charlotte. They had barely stopped for gas and bathroom breaks. As he watched the agent in the driver's seat he realized that this was the best he had seen him in months. He was clean shaven and wearing his black suit. His lack his colorful socks and 'cocky' belt buckle was a testament that he was still not himself but he was headed in the right direction. He was doing what he was good at, chasing a lead, and what made it better was that it was about Brennan. Lance groaned inwardly as he hoped that this was not a goose chase.

Booth reached over and grabbed his coffee mug and took a mouthful. He swallowed with a frown, cold. Pulling off the interstate his eyes searched out a new source of caffeine. He had to keep moving. He drove through the heart of the town and abandoned the thought of coffee as he spotted the hotel they would be staying at and pulled in. Sweets insisted that they rest for a bit before moving on to question the port authorities. Booth showered but was unable to sleep and was now pacing his room waiting for Dr. Sweets to be ready. He glanced at his watch, 4:08 PM. Having waiting long enough he left his room and went next door to retrieve his 'partner'.

He held his hand at the door, ready to knock but stopped when he heard Lance's voice. "I know, Daisy. I will. Trust me, everything will be fine. No, Booth won't shoot me." He laughed. "Okay. Yes, Daisy." Booth couldn't wait anymore and banged on the door. "I got to go. I will call you later." Booth heard footsteps and the door opened.

"Let's go." Booth said, his face set with determination. Lance grabbed the key and followed him.

It was a short drive to the port gates. Security tried to give them a hard time but Booth pulled his badge and was permitted access. It took another fifteen minutes to find someone in charge to answer their questions. They sat in the office as an older man entered.

"I'm Chris, I am the site manager. I was about to leave when the secretary called me. What can I do for you?" He asked as he extended his hand. Booth shook it and then Sweets as they resumed their seats.

"Had a hard time at the gates. That's some tight security you've got going on." Booth commented with a smile, leading the conversation.

"Sorry about that, but we can never be too careful around here." Chris said with a chuckle.

Booth pulled out a picture from an envelope. "Do you recognize this?" He asked, handing the photo to man.

Chris took the photo and looked at it. "It looks like a security decail for parking privileges. But this is a rendering, not an actual decal." He handed the photo back before reaching in his drawer and handing over a square foil sticker. "This is what it should look like or any one of these." He said, showing him four variations of different colors. "Older ones don't have the barcode. We upgrade last year and have been doing our best to reissue the new ones so that one is rather obsolete."

"What's with the different colors?" Sweets asked without thinking.

"They correspond with a parking zone. Red indicates employees. Blue, shipping companies. Green, state maintenance. Orange, which is what this one you have looks like would be for couriers. Yellow, state environmental agencies." Chris explained.

Booth cleared his throat. "You usually need such high security?" He asked.

Chris sat back in his chair. "I wish we didn't" he replied with a sigh. "People try to ship all sorts of stuff in and out of here and unfortunately a fair share of it is illegal. Some try to skip customs and others are trying to ship drugs or people. So, yes, security is tight. We find that minimizing those who can access the port freely has diminished the amount of trafficking through here."

Booth nodded his head. "Are each serial number unique on the parking permits?" He asked.

"Yes. You have to make an application and part of that includes a background check. If a permit is issued it will be assigned to a specific person and vehicle." Chris replied. Already knowing where this was going he turned his computer on and began loading the tracking software. Booth handed him back the photo of the permit and he entered the serial number into the system. "This could take a couple of minutes to search the records." He informed them as he leaned back in his chair. "Can I ask how you came into possession of this?" Chris asked as he handed the photo back.

Booth frowned. He didn't want to share too much. Chris was helpful but he could still be involved in this somehow. "Trying to locate the owner of a car that was found abandoned. Our team at the lab was able to identify and recreate the sticker on the bumper. We are hoping it will lead us to the owner." Booth meandered around the question until the computer beeped.

Chris leaned forward and printed the screen. He frowned as he handed the paper over. "Sticker belongs to a shipping company in Macon, Georgia. Sticker should have been on a box truck. Our records indicate they went belly up two years ago. Sorry. Not much of a help, I know." Chris said apologetically. "But your sticker there is a good forgery." He offered.

Booth stood and put the paper in the folder along with the picture. He handed Chris his card, "If you think of anything out of the ordinary give me a call. I will be in town a couple of days." Booth told him and offered his hand.

Chris took his hand and shook it. "Besides needing to audit the system to look for forgeries, I'll let you know."

As they climbed back in the car Lance thought he would see a frown on Booth's face but instead he had a smirk. "What are you thinking?" Lance asked.

"I'm ganna stop by the local PD. See what I can find." Booth replied as he handed the temporary pass back to the guards.

"Going with your gut on this?" Sweets asked, knowing it was a loaded question.

"Kind of." Booth said as he pulled into traffic.

oOo

Booth walked in to the police department and up to the front desk. "I need to see Detective Jameson." He stated as he showed his badge.

The clerk looked at him, unimpressed before picking up the phone. She punched in a the extension. "There is a FBI man to see you." She reported. A few minutes later a short young detective came to the front and motioned for them to follow. Once seated in the little office the man smiled. "What brings you guys down here?" He asked.

"You were the lead on a car found submerged in the Cooper River?" Booth asked.

Without further explaination the man nodded his head. Car with Washington DC plates and now the FBI sat in his office. He knew exactly which car the agent was referring to. "Yeah, a bunch of fisherman found it with their fish finders. Usually don't find cars up there." He replied.

"A little out of your jurisdiction isn't it?" Sweets spoke up.

"A little." The man chuckled. "It technically is part of the wildlife management but they didn't want to touch it."

"Any idea about the whereabouts of the driver?" Booth asked. The detective shook his head. "I'm ganna level with you." Booth started as he leaned in. "The owner of that car has been missing for over five months, nearly six. She is very special to me. I need to know what happened to her." Booth finished and sat back, reigning control over his emotions.

"If you could search your records for a caucasian woman, Jane Doe, in her late twenties, early thirties, found anytime in the last five to six months, alive or otherwise maybe we could start there." Sweets spoke up.

"Yeah, sure. That's ganna take a couple of hours to pull up though. Maybe tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Is there somewhere I can reach you at?" Detective Jameson asked.

Booth handed him his card and then a map of the local area. "Show me how to get to where the car was found. I want to see it."

"Okay. But you will need to hire a boat to go out into the water." The detective remarked as he drew on the map.

"Thanks." Booth said as he collected the map and left.

oOo

The next morning Booth and Sweets drove up to the river where Brennan's car was found with Detective Jameson. He stood on the dock and looked around. There were too many possibilities of how the car got into the water. He looked down the shoreline at busy little community. Surely if the car had crashed into the water from here someone would have seen it. His eyes crossed the water to the trees across the way.

"What's over there?" Booth asked.

Detecitve Jameson looked up. "Mepkin Abby." As a roll of thunder sounded the detective looked at his watch. "If we want to get in before the rain we had best get a move on." He said as he turned and headed back to the SUV.

As Booth buckled his seat belt he looked at Detective Jameson. "A car simply does not make it into the water like this without someone noticing. Someone had to have seen something." Booth told him.

"It's too late to canvess the area if that car has been in there as long as you say. We can check police reports to see if some disturbance was ever called in." The detective mentioned as he took down notes.

"What about from the Abby's side?" Booth asked.

"That's well out of my jurisdiction. You would need to speak with the local authorities up that way. I will get you the number." Jameson responded.

"I will head up there after we look through your files." Booth replied as he pulled away. "It is harder to dismiss someone when you look them in the eye."

"Just mind the rains. Some of those back roads tend to flood with the rains." The detective offered in warning.

Booth didn't respond but nodded his head in understanding. A police cruiser definitely would have trouble at the slightest amount of flooding but he knew his SUV could handle more. He would have to check the weather reports when they got back to the precinct.

oOo

Booth tossed another folder to the ground as the secretary entered with some sandwiches. "Thanks Jean." Sweets said as he took the sandwiches from her. She nodded and left. Lance sat his box on the table and handed Booth his. Booth sat it down as he opened another file.

"Booth, you should eat." Dr. Sweets reminded him. "You're no good to anyone if you get sick because you haven't eaten all day. Dr. Brennan wouldn't . . ."

Booth stood quickly and shoved him back. "No! You don't get to lecture me about Bones. You gave up on her! You all gave up on her!" His finger was pointed in the doctor's face.

"I'm sorry." Lance could on mutter.

Booth sat down, his voice serious and low. "For a while I thought I scared her off" he grumbled as he picked up the next file.

By the time they finished going through the Jane Doe files it was after dark. Booth and Sweets hadn't said a word to each other since the heated exchange. Booth said it was going to rain all night so they would head up to the Abby in the morning to see if they heard or saw anything suspicious when the car was dumped.

As Sweets entered his hotel room and closed the door he leaned his head back against the door, "Man, we all screwed up on this one."


	4. Chapter 4

_Previously on Bones . . ._

 _By the time they finished going through the Jane Doe files it was after dark. Booth and Sweets hadn't said a word to each other since the heated exchange. Booth said it was going to rain all night so they would head up to the Abby in the morning to see if they heard or saw anything suspicious when the car was dumped._

 _As Sweets entered his hotel room and closed the door he leaned his head back against the door, "Man, we all screwed up on this one."_

oOo

The next morning Booth and Sweets drove up to the Abby and talked with the Head Mother. She reported there had been some commotion and a dead body had turned up and the local PD were investigating it, but that's all she knew. She explained that perhaps Father Reynolds knew more as he was the one in contact with the police but he had gone to the grocer and to run errands in town and she was unsure of when he would return. Booth thanked the nun and decided to check with the local police to see what information he could find about the man that was found dead.

The tension between Sweets and Booth had not relented and Booth still was not speaking with him. Lance decided to look at the little town as Booth went in to question the investigating officer. The space may do them good.

Booth strolled into the little precinct and waited for the policeman in front of him to get off the phone.

"Morning stranger, what can I do for you?" The young police officer said with a smile. His smile faltered momentarily as Booth pulled out his badge.

"Agent Booth, FBI. I need to speak with a Detective Shelby." Booth stated, thanking the nun for remembering the detective's name.

The office stood, "follow me" he said as he began walking to the offices in the back. He knocked on the door, "Detective Shelby?" he called as he opened the door.

The detective sat at his desk with his brown suit jacket thrown over his chair. He was currently on the phone and motioned for the man to entered. The uniformed office stepped aside and let Booth enter. On seeing the tell man in the black suit holding up an FBI badge he let whomever he was talking to on the phone know he had a visitor and needed to get go. He hung up and extended his hand to Booth who shook it.

"Don't often see you guys down here. What can I do for you?" Detective Shelby asked, secretly hoping it was not because of Joy or that she was in some type of trouble. He had taken a liking to her as if she were one of his own children, they were about the same age.

"I am here investigating a car that was found submerged in Lake Cooper last week. I am trying to figure out how a car got there without being noticed by someone. The Abby report some trouble about five and a half months ago and that a body was found. We want to see if there is a connection." Booth explained, again purposefully leaving out about Brennan.

"Oh yeah. I remember that." The detective said as he got up from his chair and went to the filing cabinet and pulled out a file. Handing it to Booth he sat back down. "Some gangbanger out of DC. Shot once. We figured drug deal gone wrong but we never could pinpoint how he got out there to the Abby and we never found a weapon." The detective sat silent a moment while Booth looked over the details of the file.

Booth pulled out the file he had on Brennan's car and scanned the inventory. No her gun was not found and she usually kept it either with her in the bedroom or in the glove box of the car. He took a deep breath before asking, "50 caliber bullet?"

Detective Shelby furrowed his brow, "Yes, how did you know? You couldn't have read the autopse report yet." He asked.

"The owner of the car usually kept a 50 caliber 500 in the glove box" Booth explained with a small smile.

OUTSIDE

Sweets walked up the street letting his nose carry him to the front door of a bakery. He stepped to the side to allow some patrons to leave before going inside to get Booth a cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Father." Joy said politely as Father Reynolds opened the umbrella.

Sweets looked up to the familiar voice he knew well and called out, "Temperence?" The woman barely halted and looked around timidly before continuing on. Sweets couldn't believe his eyes, if this was not Temperence Brennan he had just met her clone. He ran up to her and she turned at the sounds of his foot steps behind her. She glanced at his face and then her eyes went back to the ground. There was no recognition there Sweets noted. He reached out to touch her and she screamed.

"No, don't touch me!" Joy yelled clutching her rain coat to her chest as she reared back.

Father Reynolds stopped and looked back. A young man he had never seen before looked confused as he attempted to touch Joy on the shoulder. He walked back.

"Brennan?" Lance asked incredulously, his face scrunched up in confusion at the sheer terror on the face of the woman in front of him.

"I think you are mistaken, son" the priest offered, trying to smooth the situation out. "This is Joy" he said attempting to make a proper introduction but as he turned all he could hear were Joy's footsteps as she bolted back to the church van.

Back inside Booth was about to ask Detective Shelby if they had run across any Jane Does in the last several months when he heard Sweets yell for him from the lobby.

"Booth!" Sweets yelled between pants.

Booth came running out. "What is it?" He asked with concern. Obviously the doctor had run to come tell him whatever it was he needed.

"Brennan, I saw her. At least I think I saw her." Lance said still panting.

Dectective Shelby had followed when he heard the commotion and handed Sweets a cup of water. "Slow down" he instructed.

Booth stood frozen for a moment. "What do you mean you saw Bones?" Booth growled out as he jerked Sweets up by the collar.

Sweets put his hands up in a surrendering motion as Shelby stepped between the two, not understanding what was going on. "I was headed to the bakery when I saw someone who looked an awful lot like Brennan. I called to her and she did not turn. When she finally saw me she looked right through me as if she didn't know me. She was demure, refused to make eye contact." Sweets explained. "And she wasn't alone" he added.

That last part had Booth back on his feet. Angela said that his prank caller wasn't alone and that's why they never spoke. Was it Brennan this whole time trying to reach out to him to help her? Was she being held captive somehow? Booth's head spun with the possibilities as he followed Sweets out the door and down the street to where he thought he had seen Brennan.

"Joy." Booth mumbled as he looked around.

"What?" Lance asked.

"Joy. Why didn't I think of it sooner? Temperance's birth name was Joy Keenan, not Temperance Brennan." Booth said with a huge smile as he slapped Sweets on the back. Just then Booth's phone rang. "Booth." He announced.

"Glad to hear from you too, sweetie." Angela mocked. Before Booth could respond Angela excitedly continued on. "So we got a hit on a partial print for Brennan."

"What? Where?" He asked. This day was getting better and better.

"Mercy General Hospital, Port Charlotte South Carolina. They evidentially had a Jane Doe twenty-two weeks ago and they were trying to ID her. The card is damaged though and there is no indication the condition of the Jane Doe. Look for a Dr. Margo Scheffield." Angela said, hopeful that evidence hadn't gone cold.

"I'm on it." Booth declared and hung up. He turned to Sweets, "I'm going to look around here for a while. I need you to go back to Port Charlotte and look for a Dr. Margo Scheffield at Mercy General Hospital. She turned in a missing person's kit and it was a partial for Bones." Booth instructed. He popped the hatch and grabbed his duffle bag before handing Sweets the keys.


	5. Chapter 5

Previously on Bones . . .

" _Glad to hear from you too, sweetie." Angela mocked. Before Booth could respond Angela excitedly continued on. "So we got a hit on a partial print for Brennan."_

" _What? Where?" He asked. This day was getting better and better._

" _Mercy General Hospital, Port Charlotte South Carolina. They evidentially had a Jane Doe twenty-two weeks ago and they were trying to ID her. The card is damaged though and there is no indication the condition of the Jane Doe. Look for a Dr. Margo Scheffield." Angela said, hopeful that evidence hadn't gone cold._

" _I'm on it." Booth declared and hung up. He turned to Sweets, "I'm going to look around here for a while. I need you to go back to Port Charlotte and look for a Dr. Margo Scheffield at Mercy General Hospital. She turned in a missing person's kit and it was a partial for Bones." Booth instructed. He popped the hatch and grabbed his duffle bag before handing Sweets the keys._

oOo

Booth wandered around the small town trying his best to stay dry in the pouring rains. He entered the bakery that Sweets had mentioned earlier and went to the counter. The young women smiled as he approached. Booth gave a small smile back as he reached into his pocket and removed a picture of Brennan. Holding the picture up for the lady to see he asked, "Do you recognize this women? Her name is Joy."

The young woman looked at the picture and nodded. "It looks a lot like Joy. Hard to tell under the makeup though" she replied.

"What can you tell me about Joy?" He asked.

The woman seemed to think about his request a minute before responding. "Not much, really. She keeps to herself, you know." The woman at the counter thought a minute longer before adding, "She only recently started coming into town."

Booth purchased a cup of coffee before continuing on his way. He stopped at several shops and the answers were about the same. When he came to the public library he figured it was a place Brennan would spend a lot of time in if she could and he decided to give it a try. When he entered it was staffed by an old woman who smiled at him as he entered.

"Good afternoon. Is there something I can do for you?" The lady offered politely.

Again Booth showed the woman his badge and then asked about the woman in the photo. She took no time to consider. "Yeah, I know Joy. She's in here two, maybe three times a week checking out stuff to read. Sweet lady, but shy."

"Shy?" Booth asked, leading the woman to continue talking. She obviously loved to gossip.

"Oh yeah, but not as bad as when she first started coming around. She used to be terrified someone would give her a hard time. Poor thing has been through a lot." The woman gushed.

"Like what?" Booth asked, momentarily taken aback that Bones had 'been through a lot'.

"Can't say, she doesn't talk much, but when she first started coming here she was still healing, had bruises all over and stitches too. She only seems to trust the priest." The woman sat tapping her chin as if trying to recall anything else.

"What priest?" Booth inquired, his confusion written all over his face.

"Oh, Father Reynolds. Detective Shelby asked the good Father to look in after her since she was in such an awful shape but. . ." The old woman's mouth clamped shut as Booth ran from the library at the mention of Dectective Shelby's name.

Booth jogged the short distance back to the police department. Shelby knew he was investigating the car being dumped in the lake the same time Joy showed up but the detective didn't offer up the information. Did he not make the connection or was he purposely keeping the information about Joy to himself. As Booth entered the police department Detective Shelby was there to greet him.

"I was wondering when you were coming back." Shelby said with a grin.

"Yeah, I uh. . . didn't finish looking through that file." Booth stammered. Part of him wanted to throw the older detective against the wall and demand to know what he knew about 'Joy" but another part of him was worried the man was involved in her disappearance and to not let on he knew anything.

The pair returned to Shelby's office as Booth started going over the file some more, secretly watching the other man for signs of aversion. Booth wasn't paying too close of attention as he looked down he noticed the section where items that were found on the body were listed. Two things jumped out at him: first a dolphin shaped ring and secondly, a dolphin necklace.

"Where are these items that are listed here?" Booth asked as he stood.

"Down in evidence." Shelby said. As they made their way down the stairs he further explained, "nobody ever came to claim the body or his personal belongings." He opened the cage that held the evidence lockers in and after some rummaging he handed Booth a box.

"This is everything?" Booth asked before opening the box. Detective Shelby nodded and watched as Booth went through the evidence. After a moment Booth's breath caught in his throat. His fingers picked up Brennan's ring before enclosing on the golden dolphin necklace. He flipped the dolphin over to read the inscription he knew was there: _With Love, SB._

"Is everything alright?" Shelby asked with concern. Booth took a moment to compose himself but nodded 'yes', not trusting his voice. Detective Shelby locked everything back up with the exception of the necklace and ring. He took a piece of paper out and handed it to Booth, "I need you to sign for those two."

Booth walked in a daze and went outside for air. He sat under a tree and took the evidence bags out of his pocket. He opened the necklace and let it fall into his hand. He turned it over and ran his thumb over the inscription and smiled at the memory of how much Bones had loved the Christmas present and how his hands shook when he placed it around her neck. She swore she would never take it off. A frown replaced the smile as a tear ran down his cheek as he noted the chain was broken, probably snapped right off her neck.

Booth went back to the police station, determined to question Detective Shelby about 'Joy" but found he had gone home for the day. After not hearing from Sweets he tried to call him but it went straight to voicemail. Not knowing how long Sweets was going to be, Booth went to the local bed and breakfast and booked a room. He called Sweets back and let him know where he could find him when he made it back.

oOo

Around 10:30 that night there was a knock at the door. Booth retrieved his sidearm before going to the door. He opened the door and was relieved to see Sweets standing there, soaking wet, with a file folder in his hands. "What took you so long?" Booth asked as he opened the door to allow Lance through.

"The doctor wouldn't release records without a warrant." Sweets said as he shrugged off his wet coat and dropped the keys on the dresser.

"But she asked for the ID?" Booth complained.

"Yes, but when the woman woke up and identified herself the case was closed. HIPPA prevented her from legally sharing any information after that point without the patient's consent." Lance explained.

"Woke up?" Booth asked with his hand held out for the file.

"I haven't had a chance to really read any of this but from what I have seen their Jane Doe was brought in critical and unstable condition. After surgery she slipped into a coma which is when they sent out the paperwork in an attempt to ID the woman. While waiting for paperwork to return she woke up and identified herself as Joy. The police had already determined her last name on the scene when she was found." Sweets said with a grin.

Booth flipped through the police report in the folder and began reading aloud: Trucker called in after he noticed woman laying on the side of the road on Highway 41, Wildlife Refuge, south of Abby Road. Responding police officer noted white female in her late twenties to early thirties, severely beaten. Missing articles of clothing possibly due to. . . to. . ." Booth swallowed hard before forcing himself to continue, "suspected rape. Stab wound to abdomen and gunshot wound to shoulder. Victim in and out of consciousness but not lucid. When asked her name she simply stated 'Booth'. Shocked twice by EMS on scene before being transported to Mercy General via EMS." Booth took a deep breath before laying the folder down and pacing the room.

"It's not your fault, Booth. There was no way for you to have prevented this." Sweets said, trying to reassure him.

"She was calling for me! For me!" Booth said harshly.

Lance ignored his comment, "We now have a full name, Joy Booth. We can check with the local PD in the morning and find out where she is staying."

"That doesn't explain why she never made contact in almost 6 months!" Booth said, angry that she was hiding from him.

"There may be more to it than. . ." Sweets began but was cut off by a knocking at the door.

Booth swung the door open, "what?!" he demanded. Detective Shelby was standing there, slightly shocked and dripping rain water on the carpet.

"I need your help." Shelby admitted.

"First you are going to tell me about Joy Booth." Booth rounded, pushing the older man against the wall with a thud.

"That's why I'm here. Joy is in trouble. I need your help." Shelby explained quickly, the look in the young FBI agent's eyes making him nervous.

Booth let him go and reached for his gun holster and put it on. He then grabbed his coat and keys. "You can explain on the way." Booth said as he pushed Detective Shelby out the door.

"I can help!" Lance called.

"You read that file and find out what happened to my Bones!" Booth said as he slammed the door shut.

Neither man said anything as they made their way outside. Standing on the porch the detective turned to him. "We need to take your SUV, with the rains my cruiser can't get through the flooding. That's why I need your help."

Booth didn't say anything but lead the detective to his SUV and unlocked the doors. "I'll drive. You talk." He said as he turned over the ignition and pulled out onto the road and headed in the direction of the Abby.

"Father Reynolds called me about forty-five minutes ago. Joy had disappeared out of her room. I tried to get there but couldn't get through so I was hoping you could help me." The detective explained.

Booth punched the steering wheel, "Damn it!" She was running again he thought.

"Is she in some sort of trouble?" Shelby asked.

"No. Wait. What?" Booth looked from the road to the detective quickly. "You came to me and said she was in trouble."

"I mean in legal trouble for shooting that gangbanger. I know she did it but after what he did to her I just couldn't bring her up on charges. I disposed of the gun. I figured you where here looking for her because of that." Shelby explained, finally spilling the entire truth.

"No. She's my partner. She's my everything." Booth said with a sigh. "What is going on here?" Booth asked as they splashed through another puddle.

"Turn here." Shelby instructed as Booth pulled into the Wildlife Refuge. "Joy sleepwalks. Sometimes just around the house. Sometimes a bit farther. If she is out in this and sleepwalking she is in a considerable amount of danger. I usually find her here in the refuge. There is a little bridge she likes to go to in order to be alone. I figure she might be there."

Booth calculated the distance from where they were to the Abby, _A bit further._ He pulled into a parking space and pulled out his flash light. He checked his gun clip before slapping it back in place.

"Leave that here, you won't need it. You're more likely to scare her with that thing. Rabbit is skittish." Shelby advised.

Booth raised his one brow, "Rabbit?"

"Sorry, nickname. Joy didn't seem to fit." The detective explained with a fatherly grin.

"That's because her name is Temperance." Booth told him as he took his gun off and locked it into the locker of the SUV. "Let's go."

They walked for a while on the muddy trail before Booth thought he heard a noise. He put his hand up motioning for the detective to stop. He swung his flashlight in the direction of a twig snapping but couldn't see anything. A flash of lighting illuminated the shape of a woman ahead of them stumbling through the mud. The adrenaline rush made Booth forget he was soaked through with the rain as he called out, "Bones!"

"She doesn't recognize us. She's ganna' run. We have to stop her before she reaches the bridge, with the rains I fear it could collapse." Shelby said urgently.

Joy woke up shivering to the sound of thunder. Confused she looked around. She was in the woods and two men were following her. Someone yelled, "Bones!" and she bolted. Terrified she ran as fast as her pregnant belly would allow her bare feet in the mud.

Booth's heart jumped into his throat as the woman darted haphazardly forward. She looked unsteady on her feet and he feared she would fall. He slowed down and motioned for Shelby to go around and flank her. Booth prayed that if she thought she had lost them she would slow down. Silently he padded forward. She was on the bridge and the rain waters had cause the river to swell from their banks. He watched as she appeared to collapse on the handrail.

Joy felt the all too familiar feeling coming and there was nothing she could do, her medicine was back at the vicarage. He legs gave out from under her and she held the handrail as best she could before the darkness dragged her under.

Booth made it to the edge of the bridge as the woman lay crumpled to one side, shaking. He called to her, "Bones it's okay, it's Seeley" but she did not respond. He inched forward, slightly crouching. He moved the flashlight in her direction and saw she was gasping for breath, her eyes rolled back, and froze in fear. He was seeing a ghost. The bridge creaked in protest to the rain water rushing underneath. "Joy?" He called. She still did not respond. Suddenly there was a large 'crack' and the bridge started to turn. He heard Shelby yell to him "It's collapsing!" and he lunged forward and grabbed her arm.

It felt like forever as the water pulled them this way and that, but he held firm. He tried to slip his hand around her waist to hold her to him but found it difficult for reasons he could not understand. He secured her around her shoulders and pulled her to him. She was still trembling and gasping for air but at least she was not fighting him. He swam toward the shore until his feet touched bottom. He tried again to hoist her out of the water and that's when his brain caught up with him. He couldn't get his arm around her waist because she was very pregnant.

"Is she breathing?" Shelby called as he ran to the shore where Seeley had seemed to stop.

"Barely!" He called as he repositioned his hands and lifted Brennan from the water. He carried her a short while and then lay her on the grass. He felt for a pulse and it was strong. She was still shaking but not as violent.

"Turn her on her side!" Shelby instructed as he came to kneel next to her. He pulled a small metal pencil box from his pocket. He pulled a syringe from the little metal box and uncapped it. "Hold her arm still" he said. Booth did as instructed and watched as the detective injected some unknown liquid in to his girlfriend's arm. Brennan started coughing and then slowly relaxed, her eyes slid shut. Booth remained awestruck and silent as he moved his hand over her swollen stomach and was greeted with a 'thump' from within.

"Do you think you can carry her?" Shelby asked. Booth was so overtaken with emotion he could only nod. He placed one arm under her back and the other arm under her knees and lifted. Even heavy with child, she was not that heavy. He carried her back to the SUV and climbed in the back seat with her, letting her head rest on his lap. He gave Shelby the keys to drive.

When they pulled up to the vicarage Father Reynolds was waiting outside. He opened the door and led them to her room. Booth lay her gently on the bed. The Holy Mother came in the room and shooed him out before he could protest. He turned and walked down the hallway and down the stairs.

"Thank you, Shelby." Father Reynolds said before turning to address the newcomer. "And thank you. I'm sorry but I didn't get your name, my son." The priest said with a knowing smile. Booth hadn't heard him until he placed his hand on his shoulders and repeated himself.

"Booth. Special Agent Seeley Booth, Father." Booth replied, the shock of the evening beginning to wear off.

"You must be Joy's husband, Mr. Booth." Father Reynolds said as he motioned the young man to sit.

"Not exactly." Booth said quietly. He moved to the couch and took his phone out of his pocket and realized it was dead. He groaned at remembering it went in the water with him. He sat but his eyes stayed locked to the stairwell.

"She'll sleep for several hours after all of this." Reynolds said.

"Let me drive you back to the inn. You can come back in the morning." Shelby offered.

Booth shook his head. "I've been looking for Temperance for almost six months, I'm not moving." He told them.

Shelby looked to Father Reynolds and took a step forward. He was going to try to convince the FBI agent to go rest but the nun appeared on the stairwell.

"She's awake." The Holy Mother informed them.

Without another word Booth bolted from the couch and flew up the stairs. He paused for a moment outside of her door. He listened to her breaths, even and strong through the partially open door before pushing it open. She stared at him with big blue eyes as he walked in and sat on her bed. From the doorway Father Reynolds watched as he stroked her cheek with his finger and she whispered, "I know you."


End file.
